About six months ago I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) which is a cancer of the blood. My three major blood cells: White, Red and Platelets are all low causing symptoms of extreme fatigue, susceptibility to infections and being prone to easy bruising and bleeding. I have been under the care of an oncologist who put me on a regiment of chemotherapy injections administered for 7 consecutive days, once a month for 4 months. Very little, if any improvement was found after these treatments.
New Chapter:
Last week we traveled to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX (MDA) for further evaluation and testing. My initial tests there (blood and bone marrow and examinations) confirmed my MDS diagnosis and showed my conditions is still not good, even a bit worse than when I was first diagnosed six months ago. My new doctor also reaffirmed the initial treatment was a correct first step and recommended a new course of action in the upcoming weeks. This may involve a different chemotherapy regiment and possibly a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant in the not too distant future. I am also being evaluated for one of the MDA clinical trials which will begin next week.
While this all seems rather scary, we remain optimistic for a positive outcome and look forward to the "miracles" MDA with God's help or is that the other way around? Anyway, the next few weeks will be adventurous what with all the bigness at MDA Houston and their medical expertise. We begin with about 10 days of travel, hospitalization and rest & recovery. Keep us in your prayers as we embark on this step in our journey.
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